Happy Holidays from Bike Maryland!

Once a year, Bike Maryland hosts Maryland's only Annual Bicycle Symposium. Please join us, government, community and industry leaders, elected officials, advocates, and on and off-road recreational bicyclists and commuters from throughout MD, DE, PA, D.C. and beyond to learn about key bicycle issues and how you can make your community or workplace more bike-able.

Please consider a donation to Bike Maryland this Holiday Season! Due to a generous donor your contribution will be matched dollar for dollar! Become a member of Bike Maryland here and your membership amount will be matched or give a donation here and your donation amount will be matched. As Bike Maryland is a 501c3 non-profit organization, your contribution is tax deductible.

Thank you for your support in making Maryland a great place to live, play and bicycle!

A group of Anne Arundel County residents are discussing the formation of bicycle advocacy organization for Annapolis and Anne Arundel county. They envision a forum for bringing together a wide range of groups, including government, bicycle enthusiasts, schools, bicycle clubs, businesses and more, to promote safe cycling. Anyone interested should contact Jon Korin.

Allegany County Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan

The focus of Allegany County’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan is connecting communities. The connections between the trails and towns will offer more than recreational activities, but also provide for transportation and bring economic benefits. Among the projects described in the plan is connecting the town of Mount Savage to Frostburg and the Great Allegheny Passage, while creating a small loop trail that supports the Great Allegheny Passage. The new connection would primarily make use of an abandoned rail bed to connect the two towns. Another project would rehabilitate the tunnel under Frostburg’s Main Street to restore a connection between the GAP and Frostburg, according to the plan. The proposed trail heads south from the tunnel to become the Georges Creek Rail Trail ending in Westernport. The trail will provide a “backbone” to link all the parks in Frostburg, according to the plan. Another project would connect Dan’s Mountain State
Park to the Dan’s Rock Overlook Park by a hiking and biking trail. View the plan here.

Howard County Bicycle Transportation Master Plan

Howard County is developing its first Bicycle Transportation Master Plan. The Department of Planning and Zoning (DPZ) is the lead agency administering the planning process. To ensure a comprehensive look at bicycling, DPZ has secured the involvement of a number of other county agencies including the Office of the County Executive, the County Council and Department of Public Works.

The master plan will address bicycling for both transportation and recreation; and will look at on-road and off-road bicycling facilities. A variety of methods will be used to gather public input, including a series of public workshops, in the Fall of 2012, an online survey, and availability of an interactive online map. The master planning process is expected to last a year from June 2012 – June 2013. Learn more here.

Montgomery County Trails Master Plan

Montgomery County Department of Parks is updating the Countywide Park Trails Plan. This plan serves as the guide for park trails of countywide significance, both hard and natural surface. Since last fall, they have been meeting monthly with a “Trails Working Group” (TWG), which consists of representatives from the major trail user groups, to discuss various plan objectives and policy issues. The TWG is helping to advise and guide our planning process for the amendment.

City of Rockville Bike Master Plan

Rockville has recently completed a draft of the master plan recommendations. For more information please contact Rebecca Torma.

Cecil County Bicycle Master Plan

The Wilmington Area Planning Council has completed a draft master plan. For more information please contact David Gula.

Annapolis Bicycle Master Plan

The Plan update will thus provide the County with an effective tool to identify and act on opportunities as they arise (including development, redevelopment, grant funding, coordination with other capital projects, etc.) and to work incrementally toward a more complete and consistent network of pedestrian and bicycle facilities and amenities. At the same time, the presence of these improvements will serve as an incentive for citizens to walk and cycle as greater opportunities become available and to satisfy mobility requirements by other means than motorized vehicle use. The Annapolis Bicycle Master Plan recommendations include:

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has created the Maryland’s Trails Clearinghouse and Directory, a central place for collecting and sharing materials and information about Trails in Maryland. The website is updated on a bi-monthly basis.

The DNR trails vision for the state of Maryland is to “Connect all of our public lands – federal, state, county and municipal – to the places where people live work, shop and play.” The website has been created to link people to resources, facilitate coalitions and support collaborations to grow Maryland’s trail resources. The goal is to provide a vehicle for trail enthusiasts to connect in positive ways to the land, the water and to each other.

The development of a statewide trails system contributes to Smart Growth, sustainable communities and an enhanced quality of life for all of Maryland’s citizens and visitors.

The DNR is responsible for maintaining over 1,000 miles of trails throughout the state. These trails are located in our parks, forests, wildlife management areas, and natural resource areas. Trails come in many different varieties – on-road, off-road, hybrid bike trails, mountain bike trails, ORV trails, hiking trails, horse trails and water trails. Trail users come in all shapes and sizes, and each has a place at the DNR table as we strive to provide recreational opportunities for all while protecting our fragile natural resources.

The DNR mission is to design, build and maintain a sustainable trail system. In order to accomplish our mission we are creating partnerships between our land managers and volunteers who help keep our trails in good shape. At the 2010 Trails Summit, Governor Martin O’Malley and DNR Secretary John Griffin promised the trails community that the state would create a new Trails Division and hire a Land Trails Coordinator. That promise has been fulfilled and we are working with our many partners to create a state-wide trail network that meets the recreational and transportation needs of the citizens of Maryland.

To obtain more information, ask a question, or share a concern, contact: Steve Carr410-260-8478
Land Trails Planner, Land Acquisition & Planning
Maryland Department of Natural Resources